


Camp Softapple

by CordiallyBoned



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-12 20:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12967437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CordiallyBoned/pseuds/CordiallyBoned
Summary: Some kids go to a summer camp, but this year, something's different. *ominous music*





	Camp Softapple

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Goldynwings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldynwings/gifts).



> For your Birthday! I hope you like it, are you surprised? I tried to keep it a surprise :D
> 
> (This is just my headcannon stuff, it doesn't have to be "official" haha)

I myself had great fun that particular summer, and although they might not have thought it then, I believe it was a very fun summer for the children as well.

It was eight o'clock on a warm June morning when the single bus pulled into the camp's gravel parking lot. The faded yellow bus was the only one left from the camp's heyday, and now carried only nineteen children. There were some tired yawns and plenty of moaning and groaning on the trip, but now the children were rejuvenated with fresh excitement. The forest air also does wonders for the spirit, so I'm sure that's why they began to shout and yell so much as the bus parked and the driver began to frantically herd them off it as quickly as possible. It had been a long and winding drive through the trees to get to the campgrounds from the main highway, and the bus driver was ironically not a fan of rambunctious children.

The pines smelled clear and delicious at this time of morning, but the children weren't interested in scents as they hurried across the gravel to a wooden archway at the head of a dirt path. It was very worn, but the letters painted on the sign at the top of the arch could still be read; 

"Welcome to Camp Softapple"

Some of the first timers were overtaken by their excitement then, and they began to run down the dirt path. They had heard rumors of a lake perfect for swimming, with clear, blue waters warm from the sun. Those who had been there for a few summers knew better (previous summer expeditions had proven the lake waters to be very muddy and very cold), but were still intent on racing to nab the best bunks in the sleeping cabins. 

"Hooooold your horses there, kiddos!" 

A stocky woman with a long braid of brown hair and a red flannel shirt blocked the youngsters' path. She was grinning at them, her hands on her hips. 

"Hey there, campers," she said cheerfully. "I'm your new camp leader, Ms. Vicksson, but you can call me Vicks. It's nice to meet you all!" 

A taller boy with a shock of red hair pushed closer to the front of the pack. 

"Where's Mathews?" he shouted. "Why you takin' his job, lady?" 

"Now, now, we sleep in cabins, so don't be so... In-tents!" Vicks stared at them all with a wide open grin, before coughing then adding, "Well, didn't your parents tell you about the changes?" 

None of their parents had thought it important to let their children know why Ms. Vicksson was now in charge. In fact, most of the parents didn't know the reason themselves, since they had failed to receive the camp newsletter thanks to a mailman mix-up (a very disgruntled man across the country would come home from his fishing trip in a week to find stacks of the newsletter shoved through his front door's mailslot).

"Camp Softapple has been bought by the Stringletons," Vicks explained. "The staff that is working here this summer is a temporary one while papers change hands."

One little girl whispered, "Paper hands..."

"Now, come along to the fire pit," said Vicks. "We'll assign your cabins and then learn some fun campfire songs!"

There was groaning and shuffling of feet at first, but the children followed Vicks obediently. As they walked to the main campgrounds, the children formed small groups, introducing themselves to prospective new friends and greeting old ones. A stout little boy with round cheeks and dark curly hair approached the tall red-headed boy who had spoken earlier.

"Hey, I'm David," he said to the taller boy. "Who's Mathews?" He smiled brightly.

"Sean." The taller boy did his best to play it cool. "He was the camp leader before this lady came along." He shoved his hands into his short's pockets and side-eyed David as he spoke. "You must be new here."

David's mouth made a little round "Oh" shape.

"How did you know?" He asked excitedly.

Sean's chest puffed out a little farther. "My dad's a cop, so naturally, I'm pretty good at figuring things out."

"Woaaah..." David was quite impressed. He was now not the only camper listening in, and not the only one to be impressed. Another boy chimed in then.

"Hey so, if you're so smart, then why did these string people buy the camp?"

"The Stringletons," Sean corrected, looking disdainfully over his shoulder at the boy who had dared ask such an obvious question. "They did it for the PR of course."

"What's PR?" David asked.

"It's what makes people happy with companies," Sean replied. "My dad says you have to have good PR or the vultures will eat you."

"Oh..." David looked down at his feet as he trudged along, seemingly troubled by this information (he had seen a vulture on the side of the road one time eating roadkill, and had decided right then that he did not like those kinds of birds -- I'm not too fond of them either, but at least someone benefits from roadkill). 

"I've heard my dad mention the Stringletons before," Sean continued. "They're loaded. So it would be easy to buy an old camp like this."

"Okay campers! Everybody take a seat on a log." Any further gossiping on the subject was interrupted by Vicks and sorting campers into cabins. After nearly two hours, the campers had been sorted, had memorized a song, and were getting restless. Vicks decided it was a good time for some free-play. She would also use this opportunity to see if the temp nurse had finally arrived or not. "Alright, campers, make sure you stay within earshot of the adults. The bell will ring when lunch is ready."

The children dispersed like a flock of birds sprung loose. Vicksson tromped over to the office building. The first door led to her office, the second to the nurse's. She opened the latter, and was not surprised to find the room still unoccupied. Anger pinched her lips together. Vicks turned to go to her own office, muttering under her breath about unprofessional conduct when she caught sight of someone coming up the path from the parking lot. It was a tall, dark haired woman. She was huffing and puffing as she lugged a dufflebag and a white suitcase with a large red plus sign on it. The wheels of the suitcase were giving the woman a tough time, but she fought on gallantly. Her long, smooth legs came out from her pink shorts. She had a white blouse that was thin enough to show her dark skin through where it clung to her with sweat. The woman stopped in front of Vicks, and after a moment, the camp leader realized her mouth had been hanging open, and snapped it shut.

"Hi, I'm the, temp nurse, Alex Redfish," the tall woman huffed.

"Oh, uh, let me help you get those to your office." Vicks grabbed the suitcase and easily hefted it over to the nurse's office.

"I'm sorry I'm so late," Redfish said once they were inside. "I wasn't sure which supplies I should bring, or if they were going to be supplied by the company or not, so I thought maybe I should just bring extra, just to be safe than sorry, and then I couldn't find the right turnoff for the camp road, it was nearly grown over, and I was so worried about hitting a deer, especially because I've never seen a deer before, and that would be an awful way to see one for the first time, and oh gosh, thanks --"

Her prattling was interrupted as she took a grateful gulp of cool water from the glass Vicks offered her. Vicks watched her swallow and unconsciously swallowed as well.

"I'm uh, you can call me Vicks, er, that's what the campers call me." Vicks was making a hasty retreat. "I'll just be, in my office if you need me, doing some paperwork. Lots of paperwork!" She laughed loudly, then quickly exited.

Meanwhile, Sean and David were still sitting by the fire pit, discussing the possibility of taking a hike to the lake before lunch. Though Sean knew many things, he admitted that he wasn't quite sure of which path led to the lake. A girl named Violet had joined them, and was wondering aloud if they could ask an adult for directions when David interrupted.

"Oh! I know how to find it!"

"How?" asked Violet.

"With this." David took a round, flat stone from his short's pocket. It had an arrow carved into it and fit in his palm as if it were made for him. "My Grampi gave me this, to help me find water if I ever got lost in the woods. He showed me how to use the spell and everything!"

Sean abruptly stood, snatching the stone from David's open hand and held it aloft, examining it dramatically.

"Looks like a simple hedge witch charm," Sean said, and he tossed it back to David who looked like he wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not.

Violet stood up too, tugging David up with her.

"Yeah well, I think it'll work just fine," she said. "Come on David, let's go find that lake."

"Now hold on," Sean said, striding to catch up to them. "I didn't say it wouldn't work."

As they passed the mess hall, they found two kids coming out of it. Sean was instantly suspicious with the way they seemed to be acting sneaky. Violet and David had other questions.

"Where did you get all those?" David asked, eyeing the many snack cakes the boy and girl were stuffing into their pockets.

"Found 'em," the boy said. He had wavy blonde hair and blue eyes, nearly identical to the girl next to him. "Where are you guys going?"

"We're going to the lake," Sean interjected before his companions could answer. "You can come with us, and share those cakes, and we won't tell anyone you "found" them." He put extra emphasis on the word "found," a sly smile on his face. It was the kind of smile his father had when he knew he had caught someone with their pants down. The young thieves looked at each other, then the boy shrugged.

"Alright," he said. "I'm Jack, and this is my sister, Mary."

David, Sean, and Violet introduced themselves and the newly formed group took off for the far edge of the camp. They stopped where the trees got thicker, and peered into the forest ahead. They were quiet for a moment.

"Well, do your thing," Sean said, elbowing David forward.

"Uh, oh, yeah." David took out his stone and held it out, flat on his palm. He whispered the words his Grampi had helped him memorize, and the stone began to spin, the arrow twirling around like an erratic compass needle before fixing on something far in the distance. The five children tromped into the woods without another word.

When they finally found the lake a half hour later, they were disappointed to say the least. The dry, sandy shores of a lake long gone turned to mud before the lakebed dipped down into a wide, flat bowl. At the very center was a small pool of brown water. A rope swing hanging from a large tree to their right dangled over empty lakebed.

"It's all mud!" Violet cried out. "What happened to the water?"

David walked to the edge of the shores where sand turned to mud, his rounded shoulders slumped. Jack and Mary sat on a large, flat boulder, and took out their cakes to count them.

"Sean, I thought you said this lake was awesome," Violet said accusingly.

"It was," Sean said, staring at the small pool at the center of the nearly empty lake. "Last summer it was full of water."

"You saw it?"

"Well, not exactly..."

"What do you mean "not exactly"?" Violet demanded. Sean shrank for a moment under her loud voice, then straightened up and whirled around to face her.

"I mean what I said," Sean snapped. "Last summer it was filled with water, and the older campers said they went skinny dipping." The two of them squared off, fists clenched at their sides.

"So much for all that talk on the way here about how great it was," Violet snapped back. "Maybe you shouldn't act like you know so much all the time."

"It's not an act!" said Sean, his pale cheeks flushing.

"Guys look!" Distracted, everyone looked at David, who was pointing at something on the far shore of the lake.

"What is it?" asked Jack, squinting at the large orange and black object.

"Some kind of house? Or car?" David offered.

"What's it doing out here?" asked Violet.

Sean pulled a coin out of his pocket, flipped it, then put it away again before setting off down the beach.

"Where are you going?" David asked as he hurried to follow behind him.

"To get a better look," Sean said.

With a huff, Violet followed after Sean and David. Jack and Mary looked at each other. Mary shrugged, then they quickly picked up their snack cakes and hurried after them.

It took nearly ten minutes for the children to make their way around the edge of the non-existent lake. It was nearly lunch time and they day was heating up. They were all hot and sweaty when they arrived at the machine.

"It's an excavator," Jack commented. "A new, expensive one." Violet looked at him as if she was about to ask how he knew that, so he added, "My dad is in construction. I heard him saying he wanted one these new ones, but couldn't afford it yet."

Sean hopped up onto the machine and peered inside the cab. He didn't mention it to the others, but he saw a piece of paper left behind on the driver's seat. The words were too small to make out, but he clearly saw the logo. It looked like a hand holding a sword, rising up from a puddle. It had no meaning to him, but he made a mental note of it anyways.

"I wonder why someone would need this out here," Violet pondered aloud.

"There's another one." Daivd pointed into the trees. A large dump truck was half hidden by the foliage. "Maybe the stringle-people--" 

"Stringletons," Sean corrected. 

"--are building some new cabins out here? Sean did say they have a lot of money."

"Sean says a lot of things," Violet muttered under her breath.

Sean shot her a glare before climbing down and saying, "Who knows. It doesn't seem like a great place to camp now that the water is all gone."

A twig snapped somewhere further into the trees and the children jumped. It was only me, but children could have very active imaginations, and to be fair, I was doing a good job at keeping hidden (I had only stepped on that twig in order to spook them and get them to leave. I could hear a car getting closer, presumably someone coming to check the equipment or some such nonsensical business and I didn't want the children to be caught there).

"Uh, maybe we should head back now guys," David whispered.

"Well, it is about lunch time," Violet added.

The campers hurriedly took off back to the camp grounds. I stayed to watch the car arrive. It had taken one of the dirt roads cleared by the workers a few weeks earlier in order to get the machines to the lake. A man in a very expensive suit and bright red tie got out, followed by another man who must have been his lackey the way he seemed so keen to please. They walked up to the edge of the lake.

"How can it still be wet?" the suit-and-tie man demanded angrily. "It's been weeks. We can't wait forever! If the lakebed isn't dry by the end of the month, we'll start digging anyways."

"I know you are anxious, sir," the lackey said, sounding anxious himself. "But it really will be impossible to get the machines through that mud. If they sink into it, they'll be unusable."

The expensive man was careful as he walked back to the car to not get his shiny black shoes too dirty."Then get a mage out here, have them use a..." he waved his hand dismissively, "spell or something to make it dry faster." 

"Of course, sir. I'll get right on it, sir." And then they left the way they came.


End file.
